Nov. 19, 2004
Box Score
Pocatello, ID--Despite an 18 point 11 rebound night from sophomore forward Molly Hays, Idaho State fell 84-67 Friday night to Oregon State in the team's season opener at Reed Gym.
Idaho State trailed by just three points, 63-60, with 4:52 left in the game, but OSU went on a 17-0 run to improve its lead to 20, 80-60.
"It was a better game than the final score indicated," said ISU head coach Jon Newlee. "We played them tough and there were a lot of bright spots tonight for us. We only had one exhibition game to get ready for the season, and when you have a young team like we do, it's impressive to do what we did tonight."
Hays tallied her double-double with 18 points and 11 rebound. She connected on 6-of-19 shots from the field, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Hays also collected four assists, two blocks, and two steals in the effort.
Christa Brossman helped the Bengals with 18 points. The senior guard was 7-of-11 from the field, and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Freshman center Natalie Doma connected for 10 points on 5-of-11 shooting. Doma also collected eight rebounds.
"Hays and Brossman played just like I expected them to tonight," Newlee said. "They play just like they play in practice. They work hard and it pays off. I expect that kind of effort out of everyone each and every day, both in practice, and in the games."
Senior guard Shannon Howell led the Beavers with a game-high 29 points. Howell connected on 12-of-22 shots from the field, 3-of-7 shots from the three. Junior guard Mandy Close helped with 16 points, while Kim Butler added 12 for OSU.
Idaho State shot 36 percent from the field compared to OSU's 54 percent. The Beavers hit an impressive 60 percent of their shots in the second half. The Bengals forced Oregon State into 16 turnovers on the night. The Bengals tallied 11 steals on the game to OSU's four.
"I was impressed with our defense tonight," Newlee said. "We did a lot of things well that we have been working on in practice. I thought we did a good job of forcing turnovers. We just had a couple of defensive lapses, which really hurt us in the end."
Next up for the Bengals will be a Monday matchup with Lewis-Clark State at Reed Gym. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m.
